Your First Albums, Up to Highschool. Not a Best Of List

It started off as the 1st 10 and my list grew to over 25+. So I broke it down from my 1st albums in the 6th grade to the end of high school.

It's been interesting to look back and compile my list that started nearly 50 years ago. My listening has expanded and mellowed/watered down over the years. The places differ because my dad was in the service.

It's been a wonderful journey.

6th grade: Washington State
1969 CCR - Willie and the Poor Boys
1970 3 Dog Night - Naturally
1970 3 Dog Night - Golden Biscuit
1970 Steppenwolf - Live

Grade: 7-10, Maui/Utah
1970 Beatles - Let it Be
1971 Santana - self-titled
1971 30 Piano Masterpieces - Compilation as seen on TV!
1972 Santana and Buddy Miles - Live!
1972 Melanie - Stoneground Words
1972 Honk - Five Summer Stories (soundtrack)
1972 Santana - Caravanserai
1972 Grand Funk - Phoenix
1973 Superstar of the 70s - 4LP Compilation
1973 Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
1973 Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
1973 Grand Funk - We're An American Band
1975 Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

Grade: 10-12, Okinawa, Japan
1975 Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus
1975 Eagles - One of These Nights
1975 Ambrosia - self-titled
1975 Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare
1975 Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
1975 Queen - A Night at the Opera
1975 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
1975 Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing
1975 Fleetwood Mac - self-titled
1975 ELO- Face the Music
1975 ZZ Top - Fandango
1976 Steve Miller - Fly Like An Eagle
1976 Bad Company
1976 KISS - Destroyer
1976 Led Zeppelin - Presence
1976 Eagles - Hotel California
1976 Average White Band - Person to Person
1976 Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
1976 Rod Stewart - Night on the Town
1977 Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
 
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The first two albums I ever purchased were
mistakes that I almost never listened to. I can't even remember the first.

After that,

(Gonna give away my age here. :D)

1. Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek - Relient K
2. Beautiful Letdown - Switchfoot

The rest during highschool was a smattering of punk, rock, and screaming for the angsty times. :D
 
The first two albums I ever purchased were
mistakes that I almost never listened to. I can't even remember the first.

After that,

(Gonna give away my age here. :D)

1. Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek - Relient K
2. Beautiful Letdown - Switchfoot

The rest during highschool was a smattering of punk, rock, and screaming for the angsty times. :D
I kinda got into those in college. There were some fine young ladies. So had to dance!
 
I bought "Got Live If You Want It" used from a school friend and bought "The Doors" new shortly after it was released. First album my older brother bought was "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys. We loved cranking up the intro to "409."
 
I bought "Got Live If You Want It" used from a school friend and bought "The Doors" new shortly after it was released. First album my older brother bought was "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys. We loved cranking up the intro to "409."

Wow, I had these mentioned in grade school as well.
 
Off hand, The first 3 KISS albums, STYX 2, Mothers of Invention, Absolutely Free, (stole from my older sister), early Ted Nugent albums, DP, Made in Japan. 45 years is going way back.
 
First two gifted, non-2nd hand stolen from my older brothers rooms, were:

Beastie Boys ~License to Ill~
Violent Femmes ~S/T~

Both received in 1986 for Christmas from one of my cooler older brothers.
 
All I remember is Jefferson Airplane & the Beatles. 8th grade in 1967. About that time motorcycles consumed the rest of my free time. Music took a back seat.
 
I wish I could remember the music I bought back then. It was the mid-80’s so I’m sure it was mostly cassettes.

The Clash - Combat Rock
Simon and Garfunkel’s- Live in NYC
Pink Floyd- The Wall
Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
 
All I remember is Jefferson Airplane & the Beatles. 8th grade in 1967. About that time motorcycles consumed the rest of my free time. Music took a back seat.
I was mostly into rock, until I started dating. Girls have a way of influencing you. But I didn't buy that stuff until later.
 
I wish I could remember the music I bought back then. It was the mid-80’s so I’m sure it was mostly cassettes.

The Clash - Combat Rock
Simon and Garfunkel’s- Live in NYC
Pink Floyd- The Wall
Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
Think man! It's good mental exercise. Helps to remember where you were and what you were doing. Music is the soundtrack to your life.
 
Here's what I can remember

The first song that really tripped my trigger was Sympathy For The Devil when they played it on 68RKO in '68. I found a notepad from the early days when I would write down the songs I liked that I heard on the radio. It was on a page titled 68 in '68. I think I called it "Please allow me to introduce myself" or something to that effect. I was 7 and suddenly Louis Armstrong wasn't my favorite anymore (but still in my top 20 50+ years later).

I bought some Beatles 45's at a yard sale before I was 10 but it's always been The Stones for me.

From the store on LP up through 9th grade:
Paul Revere & The Raiders ~ Indian Reservation
David Bowie ~ The Man Who Sold The World (OG cover)
Dr. John ~ In the Right Place
Chaka Khan ~ Rags to Rufus
Harry Nilsson ~ Son Of Schmilsson
Spirit ~ Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers ~ Monster Mash
Billy Preston ~ Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music
Lynyrd Skynyrd ~ Second Helping
Aerosmith
Led Zeppelin I, II & Houses Of The Holy
Rolling Stones ~ Goats Head Soup
Alice Cooper ~ Killer & School's Out
Black Sabbath ~ Black Sabbath & Master Of Reality
Mike Oldfield ~ Tubular Bells
Tull ~ Aqualung
Hendrix ~ BOG & Midnight Lightning (as soon as it came out so 10th grade, 1st year HS at that time)

I bought Pink Floyd ~ Meddle & ABB ~ Eat A Peach LPs at a yard sale in JHS

I think the first cassette I bought at a store was Mouth & MacNeal ~ How Do You Do

RCA Tape Club in JHS (all cassette):
Cat Stevens ~ Buddha and the Chocolate Box
3 Dog Night ~ Harmony & Golden Biscuits
Led Zeppelin ~ III & IV
Nilsson Schmilsson
Best Of The Guess Who
David Bowie ~ Ziggy Stardust

I won't even mention how lax security was at Woolworth but cassettes from W 73-75:
American Band, Yellow Brick Road, Wheels Of Fire, Let's Get It On, Muscle Of Love, Sticky Fingers, Saints & Sinners, Still Alive & Well,
Quadrophenia, Magician's Birthday, Sweet Freedom. all the Black Sabbath & Deep Purple, The Captain & Me, etc, etc ,etc

Columbia House RC in HS CO'78:
BOC ~ BOC, Tyranny & Mutation & OYFOOYK
Teddy Lugnut ~ Free For All, Cat Scratch Fever & Double Live Gonzo
Jeff Beck ~ Truth & Beckola

HIGH School is where I added Rush, Funkadelic, ELP, Yes, Ten Years After, Zappa, ZZ Top, etc
added Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson & Beethoven in my early 20's (early 80's)
added Metallica, Iron Maiden, Sacred Reich & Scorpions, etc in '85

That took about 75 minutes to sort through time & place.

This was a fun & a dirty slog through the purple tinted section of the grey matter. Thanks @onepixel !
 
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